


Dutch Courage

by haldoor



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Drunken Confessions, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 13:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2151822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show. Yes, it's yet another 'first time' fic…<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> I've been granted ownership! NOT. My earnings are limited to knowing I've made words<br/><b>Beta:</b> unbeta'd, so forgive me if it makes no sense<br/><b>Summary:</b> Danny's admitting things after a couple of drinks, but Steve doesn't believe a word of it</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dutch Courage

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the weekend challenge at **1_million_words**. The prompt I was given was: _Drunks are so cute (Mal, Ep. 02 - "The Train Job")_ from _Firefly_. I worked the line into the fic, though I've gone with a completely different fandom.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yup, got it."

"No, no." Danny pulled away from where Steve was trying to direct him out of the bar. "You don't got it. If you did, you'd be smilin'." 

Steve knew his brows were creasing, but it was hard to be cheerful when a drunken Danny was telling him how much he loved him. He might be smiling if Danny was telling him this sober; the words he'd wished for far too many times rang false when alcohol was doing the talking.

"Come on; let's get you home."

"Sure. Home. Let's go home. Your home." Danny pointed at Steve.

"You don't want that," Steve told him, trying to get a hand under Danny's elbow and direct him out the door once more.

"Don't tell me what I don't want." Danny pulled away again, but this time he walked out the door.

Steve glanced around himself briefly, and then headed after Danny. A woman's voice wafted out the door behind him: "Drunks are so cute."

"Cute, my ass," Steve muttered, hurrying to catch up to where Danny was wandering along the sidewalk unevenly.

Danny turned at the words, his grin wide. "Your ass _is_ cute."

"Great. Thanks," Steve said, his tone indicating the opposite. "Do me a favor? Next time you decide to forego your usual self-control and get wasted, call Chin instead of me."

"Why? You don't like bein' copli… com… com'limented?" Danny looked hurt; like he was serious about everything he was saying. 

There was no way he was, so Steve wasn't about to be swayed. "Here's the truck, Danny. Just get in?" He used the remote to unlock the vehicle, and opened the passenger door, still frowning deeply.

Danny studied him, eyes watering just a little. "Anyone ever tell you… you're a kill-joy?"

"You called _me_ , Danny. I was asleep; dreaming good dreams. If anyone's a kill-joy, it's you. Can we just get this over with so I can go back to bed?"

"I've been try'na tell you since you got here: let's go to bed." Danny snorted and climbed awkwardly into the cab.

"Whatever you say." Steve rounded the truck, settling behind the wheel. Danny seemed to be having trouble with the seatbelt. They'd be here all night if Steve didn't do something. "Here, let me get it."

Danny lifted his hands. "Yeah, you get it. You might get it… if you play your cards right."

Steve ignored him, turning to pull the belt out from the side and across Danny's body. As he did so, Danny leaned forward with more precision than his inebriation suggested he was capable of, his lips hitting Steve square on the mouth.

"Fuck, Danny!" Steve pulled away, his heart thumping hard. "You're drunk!"

Danny looked straight at him, his eyes intense. "You gonna tell me you don't want it?"

Turning to gaze blankly out over the steering wheel, Steve took a deep breath. This could not be happening. Resolutely ignoring Danny, he started the truck and pulled out of the parking space.

"Oh, so this is how you're gonna play it?" Danny said, the much-less-drunk-sounding words accompanied by the sound of his seatbelt clicking into place. "Ignore it and it'll go away."

So Danny was not as wasted as he'd been pretending. That didn't mean he was as interested in what he was suggesting as Steve had been pretending he _wasn't_ for almost four years now. "It'll seem like a wise idea when the sun comes up," he managed.

He could feel Danny staring at the side of his head, but Steve concentrated on the road; there was no way he could look at him now.

"What does the sun coming up have to do with anything?" Danny asked.

Steve flicked his eyes sideways, unable to help himself. Danny looked mildly angry. What did he have to be angry about? He wasn't the one who'd had a pass made at him by his _straight_ partner.

"Even if you're not as drunk as you were pretending to be…" Steve got out through gritted teeth, "there's no way… no way on earth… you really mean any of this."

Danny laughed, a bitter edge to the sound, and turned away. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"No idea? About what?" Steve couldn't help turning his head completely, sure his eyes must be wide with the complete lack of comprehension he was feeling.

Danny bowed his head, looking at his own lap. "It was Dutch courage," he said quietly.

"What?" Steve managed to watch the road again, despite his urge to throttle the man for whatever it was he was trying to explain.

"I wanted…" Danny began, and then broke off again.

"Wanted? What did you want?" Steve threw him another annoyed look.

Looking up to meet Steve's eyes, Danny said, "You."

"No," Steve said, shaking his head. They were almost at Danny's place now, and there was no way he was falling for this shit. "It's easy to pretend to be drunk so you can settle your curiosity, but it's nowhere near that easy for me. How in hell did you know, anyway? You know what? Forget how you knew. I can't… I won't… I don't want… no. Just no, Danny!"

Pulling the truck to an abrupt halt outside Danny's, Steve reached across him and pushed open the passenger door. "You're obviously sober enough to find your own way inside, so just go."

He sat back, staring straight ahead, waiting for Danny to leave.

But Danny didn't move. "No, Steven, you are not getting off that lightly." Steve turned a glare on him that must have been intense, because Danny actually flinched, but he didn't back down. "What the hell makes you think any of this is easy for me?"

Unable to formulate an answer, Steve continued to glare.

"It isn't any easier for me, just so you know. Why d'you think I needed Dutch courage? You're so…"

"I'm so what?" 

"Oblivious! We've been dancing around this for four years, babe. _Four_ years! Every time I think I've been fooling myself into believing you're not giving off those vibes, you go and do it again. And whenever I get up the balls to say something, you're either with Catherine or you're going through some major shit and the time isn't right. You have no idea how many times I've been this close…" He held up a hand, thumb and finger close together. "…this close to saying something, babe."

"Oblivious?" was all Steve could get out, although clearly he had been if Danny really was saying what he seemed to be saying. He turned off the engine, the thought of Danny being as into him as he was into Danny bouncing noisily around inside his head.

Danny huffed out a low breath, and Steve stared at him, still unsure.

"Come here, babe. Please?"

"I can't…" 

"I'm not going to run away," Danny said. "You should know that by now."

The dam was close to bursting, but Steve couldn't quite open the floodgates. "That's what you think is stopping me?"

"Isn't it?"

Steve shook his head, swallowing hard. "You can't know that."

"It isn't just curiosity, Steve; I promise you. It took me long enough to figure it out, but once I did… I knew." Danny put out a hand, touching Steve's nearest thigh, and the motion send a pulse of need right through Steve's body. He closed his eyes, holding on to his control by sheer will alone. "I knew that if I gave into what we both want, that would be it. I figured you'd hold back though; that you'd be worried I'd leave you if Grace left the island or if Catherine came back… or…"

Danny seemed to know him better than he knew himself. But none of this seemed real; the whole thing was as if one of Steve's dreams had pushed its way into the truth. "You can't mean you want it too?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Steve felt lost; one hair's breadth away from getting what he'd always wanted, but just too damned scared to accept that it wasn't just him who'd been feeling this way for so long.

Danny shook his head and got out of the car, turning to lean back in the doorway. "Now you know the truth, babe. So… either start the truck again and leave right now – then we can both pretend I was wasted tonight and none of this really happened – or… lock it and come inside with me. And if you're still here in the morning, I'll…"

"You'll what?"

Abruptly, Danny smiled. "I'll make you waffles."

As incongruous as the sentiment seemed, it loosened something deep inside Steve's chest. As Danny straightened up and headed for his front door, Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching him walk away. 

After a moment of not thinking of anything at all beyond what he'd be giving up if he didn't take this chance, Steve pulled the key out of the ignition and got out of the car, locking it as he hurried to follow Danny.

Danny was just turning his key in the front door when Steve caught up with him. Managing to keep his self-control was hard, but Steve had waited a long time already; what was a few second longer?

Shutting the door behind them, Danny stood there, one eyebrow quirked in question.

"Make it pancakes and you've got a deal," Steve muttered.

Danny nodded. "Pancakes it is."

Steve stepped forward, grabbing Danny and pushing him against the door as he found the man's lips with his own. Danny responded like he'd been holding back as much as Steve had, hunger in the little noises he was making as they kissed. 

"Holy Mother of God…" Danny got out when they broke for air.

"No, Navy SEAL," Steve grinned, going back for more.

~//~


End file.
